Typhoon toll could top 10,000 in Philippines

TACLOBAN, Philippines (AP) -- A weakened Typhoon Haiyan headed for Vietnam after devastating the central Philippines as possibly the deadliest natural disaster on record there.

In one town alone, officials say there could be as many as 10,000 people dead. In another, at least 300 people are confirmed dead as rescue efforts swing into high gear.

The storm left corpses hanging from tree branches, scattered along sidewalks and among flattened buildings. In its aftermath, looters have raided grocery stores and gas stations in search of food, fuel and water.

The storm surge created a 20-foot wall of water and some areas still have not been reached because they are cut off by flooding and landslides.

It's expected to take days to assess the storm's full impact but the nation's interior secretary says "all systems, all vestiges of modern living -- communications, power, water -- all are down."

AP-WF-11-10-13 1112GMT

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TACLOBAN, Philippines (AP) -- The president of the Philippines isn't estimating how many people may have been killed or injured in the powerful typhoon that slammed into six central Philippine islands on Friday. But he says the number is expected to be "substantially more" than the 138 who have been confirmed dead.

He says the government's priority now is to restore power and communications in isolated areas so that victims can get supplies and medical assistance.

The typhoon is now headed for Vietnam, where authorities in four central provinces have begun evacuating more than half a million people in high-risk areas. The typhoon is forecast to make landfall in Vietnam early tomorrow and move northwest.

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